


Just How Fast (Your Life) Changes

by ihathbenobiwankenobied



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Chronic Illness, Diabetes, Diabetic Character, Gen, Hurt Liam, Hurt Liam Payne, Hurt/Comfort, Liam-centric, Louis tomlinson and Liam Payne frienship, One Direction Tours, Protective Zayn Malik, Sad Liam, Sick Character, Sick Liam, Sick Liam Payne, Sickfic, he gets better though, louis is kind of a dick, self-indulgent fic because I'm bored, why am I writing this in 2020?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24425509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihathbenobiwankenobied/pseuds/ihathbenobiwankenobied
Summary: “Get the fuck out of bed, Liam!”God my head hurts… I think I might be sick.Liam’s stomach twisted. “Seriously, we have soundcheck in twenty-minutes and you need to fucking be alive for it.”God, he wished whoever was talking would just stop and leave him alone to sleep.“Zayn please come deal with this before I throw something,” the voice hissed. There was some stomping before Liam was left in silence once again. The pounding in his head was absolutely brutal and his stomach seemed to be turning at every small sound he heard or movement he made. Louis, the voice he’d heard moments ago, was clearly upset about something. Liam reached for his phone which was stuffed underneath his pillow; the muscles in his arms ached terribly from this movement alone which was only slightly concerning.This must be the influenza or some other illness.Liam swore softly under his breath.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Just How Fast (Your Life) Changes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello anyone and everyone! Years ago I used to write fanfic and I decided now that I'm completely bored and confined to my home I'd revisit one of my first fandoms. It's entirely crazy to think it's been five years since One Direction fell apart, but I still have a little place in my heart for the bond that the boys shared during the early 2010's. And now, I present to you, a completely self-indulgent work that is minimally edited because I am lazy (sorry in advance feel free to point out any grammatical mistakes; I will definitely go back and edit them in). I have always loved the hurt/comfort genre and I hope anyone looking for some fresh Liam-centric h/c can enjoy this!

_This tour bus must have the most ineffective air-conditioning on the planet_ Liam thought to himself as he hastily pushed past the bunks toward the tiny bathroom cubicle. The tour bus always seemed to be ten degrees too hot for him but Louis and Zayn seemed to think that it was perfectly cozy. _Haz and I will start a fucking war if this goes on any longer._

“Liam, this has to be the seventeenth time you’ve used the loo in the past three hours,” Louis banged harshly on the outside of the plastic door, “You popping pills in there or summat?” Though the statement was meant to be comical, Louis’ voice said otherwise; Liam knew by now what tone of voice meant business for the elder lad. Liam grunted softly and zipped up his pants before quickly scrubbing his hands and brushing past Louis’ in the thin hallway. “Thank God,” he heard Louis huff and the door shut rapidly behind him. An eye roll led Liam back into the main living area where Zayn and Niall sat wordlessly on the sofa with their faces buried in their phones. It seemed like all of the boys were needlessly distracted by something other than having fun with each other. 

“Hasn’t Lou got something up his ass tonight,” Liam plopped himself down in the empty space between the two other boys and outstretched his sore feet onto the small coffee table in front of him. Niall laughed softly and patted Liam on the shoulder, refusing to peel his eyes away from whatever texting conversation he was having on his phone. 

“Get a couple drinks in him and he’ll be alright mate,” Niall said softly, “You know how he gets after a rough concert.” There was a pause for a brief second before Zayn piped up. 

“He has a point Liam, you went to the loo ‘bout five times during the concert.” Zayn shrugged softly, never turning his attention away from the Candy Crush game in front of him, “It really ruins the pace of the show mate.”

“Yeah you were a little off in general, Liam. Maybe you should stop laying in bed all morning and get up and ready to go.” Harry’s voice trailed through the opened door of the bus, grabbed his wallet from the cupboards by the television. He looked equally as grim as Louis had in the hallway and grunted angrily as he snatched a few bills. “I’m heading out for drinks with Josh and Dan. Don’t wait up.” With that, the door was shut abruptly and Liam was left with silence save for the tapping of Zayn’s fingers against his phone screen. 

Liam thought back to the events of the concert. He hadn’t been feeling great for the past few days and this morning wasn’t any different. Eleven in the morning had found him lying unmoving in his bunk staving off a wave of nausea. The rest of the day was spent nursing a bottle of ginger ale found in the back of the refrigerator on the bus, sleeping, and heading to the bathroom more often than he would have wanted to. 

Under the increasing pressure of the upcoming concert and its preparations, Liam loaded up on water and perhaps more than one sandwich. Liam hadn’t realized that he’d taken _five_ breaks to use the toilet during the concert and it wasn’t like it was that big of a deal, but apparently it destroyed the show for the rest of the boys. Looking over at Niall first, then Zayn, Liam quickly determined that neither of them seemed up for talking and he quietly slipped away to bunks once more. 

An exasperated sigh left his lips as Liam slowly peeled his sweat-soaked socks off. Though most concerts during the tour were exhausting, this one _really_ took it out of him; the usual burst of adrenaline that followed Liam’s final goodbye to the fans was overshadowed by a deep ache stemming from his toes to his shoulders. It seemed like a headache was now a permanent fixture that overwhelmed every other function of his brain. There was no pure explanation for why he felt like this and Liam spent several minutes wracking the depths of his mind to determine the root cause. _Am I drinking too often? Am I eating enough… Maybe I need to go to bed a few hours early to rest up. Maybe more water would help?_ His mother’s worried words from his childhood infiltrated his thoughts as he sifted through his symptoms and tried to come up with some temporary solution to force himself to feel better. Liam discarded his socks in the makeshift hamper at the end of his bed. 

“Still moping like you did all day?” Louis brushed by him with a sarcastic grin plastered across his face. A soft sigh escaped Liam’s chapped lips and he chose to ignore the comment entirely rather than provoke an argument this late at night; midnight arguments with Louis never seemed to end in his favor. His pants and shirt found the hamper before Liam settled under his duvet and tried to stretch out his aching muscles. _Only one more shows then a break, Liam. Then you can rest._ His thoughts echoed loudly in his head as he attempted to ignore Niall's obnoxious bursts of laughter that seemed to erupt every few seconds from the living area. It would probably be several hours before the other guys would return to their own bunks and let him get some rest. 

Liam laid silently, simply praying he’d feel better in the morning. 

…………………..

  
  


“Get the _fuck_ out of bed, Liam!” _God my head hurts… I think I might be sick._ Liam’s stomach twisted. “Seriously, we have soundcheck in twenty-minutes and you need to fucking be alive for it.” _God, he wished whoever was talking would just stop and leave him alone to sleep._ “Zayn please come deal with this before I throw something,” the voice hissed. There was some stomping before Liam was left in silence once again. The pounding in his head was absolutely brutal and his stomach seemed to be turning at every small sound he heard or movement he made. Louis, the voice he’d heard moments ago, was clearly upset about something. Liam reached for his phone which was stuffed underneath his pillow; the muscles in his arms ached terribly from this movement alone which was concerning. _This must be the influenza or some other illness._ Liam swore softly under his breath. 

The time was three. Three in the afternoon was the time. Soundcheck was at three-fifteen. Covers thrown off his body in an instant, Liam stumbled out of his bunk headed toward the toilet in record time, his bladder pounding the second he rose to his feet. 

“Uh Liam.. you need to use loo?” Harry’s messy curls were swept wildly over his forehead and his toothbrush hung lazily out of his foaming mouth. Liam nodded furiously and Harry swiftly stepped out of the small compartment. Liam relaxed as he finally let go. Looking at himself dead in the eye in the mirror, Liam could see the pale deadness of his physique. Bags under his eyes were complemented by a matted pile of hair on his head and his usually well-maintained skin looked dry and cracked. While he felt bad, he didn’t feel horrid; well, not nearly horrid enough to consider opting out of the performance. It was just one more night before a well-justified break. Harry knocked once and his muffled voice crept into the toilet. “Mate, can I finish up?”

“Sorry,” Liam mumbled as he tripped out of the small room and headed for his suitcase tucked away in his cabinet in the living area. Lounging silently on the sofa was Zayn who failed to acknowledge Liam’s presence despite boredly watching an episode of some 90’s sitcom on the tele. Rummaging through the mix of clean and dirty clothing stuffed recklessly in his suitcase, Liam somehow managed to scrounge up a clean pair of underwear, a pair of gently worn sweats, and a plain t-shirt. Heading back to the now empty bathroom, Liam did his best to make himself look presentable; though he would have loved a shower, he barely had a few minutes to get himself inside the arena before Louis lost his shit. With a moment to assess how he was feeling, Liam determined he felt tired, insanely and utterly tired; his _bones_ ached, every muscle seemed as though it was working double-time. 

“Liam, let’s go.” Zayn’s raspy Bradford accent echoed from outside the bus and Liam knew he had to face up to a long day in front of him. Slamming the door of the bus behind him, Liam was met by a stern looking Paul whose arms were crossed stiffly across his chest. 

“Louis tells me you’ve been being lazy. Sleeping till three, Liam? This is your job now and you need to be on time. I spend a lot of my time babysitting when I should be able to expect you to just do your fucking job. Get it together kid. I need you to be on your A-game today; last show then you’re on your way home for a couple nights.” Paul was upset, God he was an idiot. The smaller man swallowed and hung his head slightly before responding. 

“Sorry- I…” Liam paused to look up, “I just have been really tired. I swear I’ll be ready to go tonight for the fans.”

“You’re damned right for the fans. Now get inside.”

………..

Soundcheck was a right disaster, well, according to Louis at least. 

“Damn it, Liam! For fuck’s sake could you stop fidgeting around like you don’t want to be here. I’m sick of you being so goddamn out of it.” The music cut out so fast that Louis’ voice echoed out over the whole stadium. There were mere seconds of shocked silence before Louis marched off of the stage leaving the remainder of his bandmates staring at each other helplessly. Liam didn’t exactly know what to do; did he follow? Try and explain to Louis how he felt? The glares from his other bandmates didn’t seem to reassure him that he could easily fix this problem. 

The previous weeks had been stressful, to say the least. Zayn had a cold for a few days which made him completely miserable for the most part and Niall’s near constant energy had annoyed them all to the point of needing to book hotel rooms rather than use the bus. Harry and Louis had been in some squabble over toothpaste just a few days before and suddenly the entire band seemed to be at each other's nerves every moment of the day. Usually Liam wasn’t the problematic one. Admittedly, he’d usually mark himself down as the mature mediator in most of the conflicts that were brought up during their months of touring. But now, Liam wasn’t so sure he was as unproblematic as he assumed. He didn’t want pity; well, not for something as unimportant as tiredness. They were _all_ tired. Every person on the tour, staff and band-members alike, was tired and cranky and probably just as sick of dealing with the near constant screaming fans and long bus rides. _I’m no different than the rest of them_ Liam told himself. 

Liam couldn’t look to Zayn for sympathy right now, he couldn’t ask Harry for a hug to make it better. Louis was right, he was out of it. Paul was right, he needed to do his job. Deciding that maybe he needed a few minutes, Liam wandered off stage to use the loo and try and pull together his composure; he was too upset to face the disappointed faces of his bandmates. Ignoring the stares of the band’s entourage who were settled backstage, Liam headed for the stadium bathroom and pushed open a stall hastily. He lowered the toilet seat and sat down shakily with tears starting to develop at the very corners of his eyes. He felt like an idiot; he couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with himself which was troubling enough. Placing his sweaty face into his hands, Liam took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Several minutes passed before the silence was broken by a harsh whisper just outside the door of the loo. “Haz, I’m on my last straw. He hasn’t put in one _fucking_ extra minute, not a single thought into our performances. I’m starting to think he doesn’t care about the band anymore.” Liam swallowed and the tears began leaking from the edges of his eyes. 

“Maybe it’s been a bad week for him; have you even asked him what’s up?” Harry’s deep voice commented. 

“I would have but all he does is ignore us and go to his bunk. If he gave a damn he’d explain himself and stop with his shite during our concerts. I’m fucking done with it.” Louis sounded exasperated, frustrated, and especially angry according to Liam’s ears. He didn’t understand, Thinking back on the past week Liam realized maybe he hadn’t been as involved as usual. Retreating to his bunk was usually marked by his extreme exhaustion and desire to simply rest and revive himself enough to be functional the next day. Liam wiped away the excess tears on his face with the sleeve of his henley.

“Louis, take it easy. He hasn’t ruined our performances, he’s just having a rough week. By the time our break is over I’m sure he’ll be back to himself.” Liam heard Louis exhale intensely after Harry’s words of reassurance before the noises in the hallway fell flat. Giving himself a few extra minutes to take a wee and stare himself down in the cloudy old mirror above the sinks, Liam exited the loo determined to not be “shite.” 

Quietly slipping back onto the stage area where Zayn and Niall sat idly chatting with their back-up band, Liam noticed Harry and Louis talking to Paul a few feet away from him. “Ready to get started, mate?” Harry said softly and he clapped Liam softly on the shoulder. His smile was warm and open but Liam wasn’t compelled to speak with him after what he’d overheard in the hallway. 

“Yeah...” Liam uttered softly and brushed by him with a small artificial upturn of his lips. 

The remainder of the soundcheck went smoothly and Liam was happy that he could at least stand in one place rather than move around endlessly like he would have to in their concert later. Louis’ watchful eyes gazing heavily upon him throughout the whole ordeal. The piercing stare of his bandmate forced Liam to try and keep up despite his waning energy. By the time they had run through most of the set and worked out a few kinks, Liam felt as though he needed to eat and sleep all at once. Taking the plastic water bottle offered to him by the stagehand, he briskly found his way to the dressing room where he knew there was an old leather sofa and a refrigerator stocked with some fruit and other food items. 

_First, food._ Liam opened the refrigerator and reached for an individually packaged sandwich. _God, why am I so hungry?_ Liam slouched into the tattered leather sofa half sitting and half laying while scarfing down the bland ham and cheese. 

“Liam?” He looked up to find Zayn, clad in his usual tattered black skinny jeans and worn t-shirt, leaning softly against the edge of the door frame. The elder man smiled tersely with soft eyes trained on Liam’s form. 

“Hey.” Liam said, placing the last couple bites of his meal down on the plastic packaging he’d left on the table beside him. 

“Let’s talk for a minute. You mind if I sit?” Zayn asked politely but invited himself over to the sofa anyway. Liam didn’t mind and tried to sit up a little straighter to make room. Several moments of comfortable silence passed before Zayn cleared his throat. “Liam, we’re all worried about you. Have you been feeling ill? Is there something you’re keeping from us?” The saddened eyes painted on Zayn’s face glossed over Liam’s own.

“I’m not ill,” Liam started staring at a little piece of loose carpet on the floor, “I’ve just been _exhausted_. It’s probably just the stress of tour; feel like I haven’t had a proper rest in so long.” 

“I understand mate, the travel and the concerts aren’t kind to the body, are they?” Zayn gently reached to ruffle the longer locks on top of Liam’s head while the younger man shook his head softly. “During the break you need to really rest up, love. Get some sleep, eat a proper home cooked meal, try and take a break from the gym.” _I haven’t been to the gym in two weeks_ Liam thought. 

“I went to the toilet earlier.”

“Yeah?”

“Harry and Louis were talking outside, they didn’t know I was in there. Louis thinks I don’t care anymore. He thinks I’m _fucking shite now_.” Liam’s temper rose slightly as he recalled the hissed whispers he'd overheard before. 

“It's not true, Liam. All of us are off our game sometimes. You are doing fine.” Zayn moved closer and opened his arms, offering a warm embrace. Liam couldn’t help but oblige. It felt nice. He had not felt the affections of one of his bandmates in weeks since all the fuss had started. 

“Thanks, Zayn. I just need to pull it together for tonight then I will rest.” Liam's statement was more of a hope than a promise.

\---


End file.
